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NCAT strives to make our information available to everyone who needs it. If you are a limited-access or low-income farmer and find that one of our publications is just not in your budget, please call 800-346-9140.

Organic Orchard, Vineyard and Berry Crop Documentation Forms

The Purpose and Use of These Forms

In order to become certified organic, producers must demonstrate to an accredited certifier that their farm operation complies with National Organic Program regulations. This process is begun by completing an Organic System Plan (OSP)—normally part of the application for certification. The OSP illustrates to the certifier how the producer plans to comply with the regulations by detailing the practices, the inputs, and the monitoring procedures that will be used. The Organic System Plan is backed up by on-site inspection to ensure that the producer is, in fact, farming in the manner outlined in his or her OSP. It is the inspector's responsibility to look for documentation and indicators that bear out the producer's claim to organic status, as well as look for any violations.

The forms in this package are provided as tools that orchardists and viticulturists can use for documenting practices, inputs, and activities that demonstrate compliance with regulations or that assist in other aspects of farm record keeping. The forms can be kept anywhere they make recording easy, such as the tractor, packing area, or machinery shed.

Please note that these are not required forms! Organic fruit and nut producers have more than enough mandatory paperwork to keep them occupied. These forms are merely intended to give you something convenient and organized to record routine things that may be important to document. Use only those forms that fit your operation and recycle the rest.

Acknowledgements

These documentation forms were developed by the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) with funds provided by the USDA/National Organic Program (NOP) and the USDA/CSREES Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) Program. Distribution is provided by NCAT's ATTRA Project, the National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service.

The authors wish to acknowledge the contributions of those in the organic community who contributed to the creation of these documents including:

Katherine Adam, NCAT, Fayetteville, AR

Janet Bachmann, NCAT, Fayetteville, AR

Harriet Behar, farmer, organic inspector, and OMRI, Gays Mills, WI

Diane Bowen, IFOAM, Milwaukee, WI

Emily Brown-Rosen, Organic Materials Review Institute, Titusville, NJ

Rex Dufour, NCAT, Davis, CA

John Foster, inspector, OMRI, and Seven Spoke Farm, McMinnville, OR

Lance Gegner, NCAT, Fayetteville, AR

Gail Hardy, NCAT, Fayetteville, AR

Keith Jones, Director of Program Development, National Organic Program

G.Fertility / Soil Monitoring Log [MS Excel/20K]
Use to document monitoring of soil fertility and soil erosion in your orchard or vineyard. Monitoring procedures are required to justify the use of most micronutrient fertilizers.

H.Pest / Weed Monitoring Log [MS Excel/20K]
Use to document monitoring of insect pests, diseases, and weeds in your orchard or vineyard. Monitoring procedures are required to justify the use of most biological, botanical, and allowed synthetic pesticides.

I.Harvest Record [MS Excel/18K]
Use to record your organic and buffer zone harvest information.

The National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service - ATTRA - is developed and managed by the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT).
Visit the NCAT website for more information on our other sustainable agriculture and energy projects.